Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Jackpot Junctions upgrades

_{By Troy Krause
Redwood Gazette
Posted Sep. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM}
 

Robert Larsen grew up as a resident of the Lower Sioux Community, and since his growing up years things have changed quite a lot.

During those years the population was in the 200 range, and the economy was struggling.

That is why what happened Monday afternoon was such a big deal for Larsen and many others who remember what life was like in the days before Jackpot Junction began bringing people and their money to the Indian community.

Larsen, a member of the Lower Sioux tribal council who just a couple of weeks ago was named chair of the governing body, talked about the community’s recent investment in the casino during a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the newly remodeled facility.

“This is a big day for us,” said Larsen. “It’s a fresh start.”

Larsen admitted the casino was in need of upgrades, adding those who are involved in the industry recognize if people continue to see the same things every time they visit they will begin coming less frequently.

“It was time for a new look,”?said Larsen, adding the facility also has its patrons in mind with the installation of a state-of-the-art air quality system.

Today there are nearly 1,000 people living at Lower Sioux.

According to Gabe Prescott, Jackpot Junction interim general manager, the casino and hotel employs about 900 people in various full-time and part-time roles.

The remodeling pro-ject was a significant project, said Prescott, adding it was something that needed to be done for the casino to be viable into the future.

Prescott said Jackpot not only employs many from the Lower Sioux Community but from the entire region.

The changes were purposeful, said Pres-cott, as they not only brought the facility up to date in a number of areas it also helped to modernize the casino. All of that is intended to get people in the doors in what is a highly competitive industry.

For Larsen, this past Monday was also a big day for the community, as nine of the 11 Minnesota Indian nations were at the Lower Sioux community for meetings that were held to find ways for the tribes to work in collaboration for the future of all of the state’s American indians.

“This has been a very good day. We had a great turnout for the meetings and the ribbon cutting,”?said Larsen, adding now the work begins in getting people to walk through the doors of Jackpot.